Fashion Design
Types of Fashion Design
In general there are three types of fashion industries that employ fashion designers:
Haute couture, or high fashion, is used in reference to high quality, custom fitted, and one of kind clothing that meets strict fashion standards. The term is often used in reference to the work of top designers even when those designers have not met the standards. Haute couture designers comprise the smallest percentage of fashion designers. Their work is unique and extraordinarily expensive.
Ready-to-wear clothing is made in small quantities and is generally sold in upscale department stores and small boutiques. Though they are not one of a kind, they are produced in a small enough number to justify expensive price tags. Unlike haute couture, these items are not generally hand-sewn or designed by an individual designer. Ready-to-wear lines are usually designed by a team of designers.
Mass market design employs the largest percentage of fashion designers. Mass market manufacturers provide clothing in a wide range of sizes using cheaper materials. Mass Market designers usually imitate the styles and trends of ready-to-wear designers. Mass produced clothing is usually seen as the bottom tier of fashion design.
The Study of Fashion Design
Most fashion designers complete an associate degree program or a bachelor degree program before entering the field. These programs train students in the basics of sewing, tailoring, computer-aided design, fabrics and textiles, pattern making, and fashion history. Courses in apparel design, accessory design, fabric art, and shoe wear design are generally required as well. Basic art, drawing and design skills are often taught or a required as a prerequisite before entering the program. Some programs allow students to specialize in a concentration. Fabric consulting is one example.
Many fashion designers earn duel degrees in fashion design and business, marketing, or finance.
Schools of Fashion Design
Degrees in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising are offered online at American Intercontinental University, International Academy of Design &Technology, the Arts Institutes, and Westwood College.
A Career in Fashion Design
Graduates of fashion design and fashion merchandising programs can look forward to positions in retail management, fashion journalism, marketing, and merchandising. Others may start careers as clothing designers, special event coordinators, catalog managers, fashion coordinators, and fashion buyers.
According to the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median salary for a fashion designer in 26 was $62,61. The highest ten percent of fashion designers earned over six figures.